Emotions I never anticipated to feel flood my senses, and I swallow thickly.
Fuck, life has been a goddamn roller coaster lately.
He raises a single brow at me. “Are you sure?”
I bite the inside of my cheek, twisting my hands together on the table in front of me.
Just like Billie does.
“Listen, I’m not saying that Maria didn’t do some questionable stuff in our marriage, but I’m out of that situation now and looking ahead to the future.” More emotions threaten to emerge, which I physically shake off. “And that’s where the bruises actually came from—my future, notmy past.”
Coach looks on, waiting for me to elaborate. I knew that none of my teammates would breathe a word about Billie, and that same loyalty is why we’re one of the strongest teams in the league—both on and off the ice.
“This can go no further,” I warn. “The team doesn’t need to be concerned about it, so I’m talking to you as a friend rather than as your player.”
Coach gives me a tight nod.
“The bruises came from Scott Quinn.”
He takes a second before his eyes grow wide. “Wait. The guy who came to the game earlier this season?” His eyes dart about as he racks his memory. “Billie? This is over the pretty redhead, isn’t it?”
My stoicism gives him all the answers he needs.
“Oh jeez, Emmett. How old is she?”
“Twenty-one, and we’re dating. The bruises are from when Scott found out, courtesy of Maria, who happens to be best friends with Billie’s mom.”
Coach can only grimace.
“Scott caught up with me when we were leaving practice the other day. Jack, Archer, and Tommy were witnesses at the time, although no one laid a finger on Scott. I let him take his rage out and maintained my calm.”
More emotions stick in my throat when I mentally replay all the messages from the boys that night. Jack showed up at my penthouse at one point with arnica cream that Kendra had once used on his face after an ex-Blades player, Tyler Bennett, bruised up his jaw pretty badly.
“That was a wise move, Emmett. Getting into it with a member of the public never ends well.”
“I’m in love with her.” The declaration falls from me like it’s the most natural sentence I’ve ever said. “Yes, I have my reputation as a pro athlete to consider, but more than that, Scott is the father of the woman I love.” I drop my head between my shoulders, picking it back up slowly to look at Coach. “Understandablyand after everything, Billie has asked me for some space. That’s why I played like trash tonight—I’m losing my mind over this girl and her beautiful baby daughter. To be honest … I’ve been losing my mind ever since I laid eyes on her when she got back from college in Texas.”
Coach smiles at me knowingly. “Felicity was out with Billie the other week; they met at my restaurant, and when she came home, she couldn’t stop talking about a stunning redhead that was going places in law. She didn’t tell me that Billie had captured your heart too. Wild horses couldn’t drag girl secrets from those women.”
Pride overtakes my features. It makes me so damn happy that Billie is making friends with an amazing group that will have her back like their husbands do my own.
“Is there any chance of a reconciliation with Billie’s dad?” Coach tentatively inquires.
I shrug. “We’ve been close friends for years, and he’s helped me through a lot of shit—from injuries to a divorce. He feels betrayed in the worst way possible, not least because I was actually helping his family out financially.”
“Oh fuck.”
“Yep.”
There isn’t much more Coach can say or do, and that’s evident as he pushes back his chair and stands opposite me.
He holds out his hand for me to take, and at first, I think he’s just going to shake it. Although as we lock grips, he smooths his other hand over the top.
“I’ve said this to pretty much every one of your close teammates, and I’m going to say it to you now, Emmett.” He lifts his hand and points toward the door. “Go after the one because when you hang your skates for the final time, you’ll wish that you’d quit fucking around and made her yours.”
He presses his lips together, deep in thought.
“When Jack got the captaincy, I could see how difficult that was for you to take, even though you never really let itshow. You are and have always been a true professional, a beacon for the Blades well before I stepped foot through the coach’s door. I want to see you happy, man, and I know that the rest of the guys do too.”
